NEW FERRARI

FIRST DRIVE Latest GT sticks with naturally aspirated V12 to brilliant effect

FF is overhauled with new look, more power and new GTC4 Lusso name.

FERRARI is determined it won’t build an SUV. CEO Sergio Marchionne even said you’d have to shoot him before the brand put an off-roader into production. However, it’s no stranger to four-wheel drive, and the new GTC4 Lusso finishes what it started with the four-seat, all-wheel-drive FF, blending even more luxury with bonkers performance.

The heart of any Ferrari is its engine – especially a front-engined grand tourer with a 681bhp V12. While the 488 GTB has now turned to turbos, this 6.3-litre unit reminds you how rewarding a big, naturally aspirated engine can be.

There’s monumental performance to tap into. It revs to the heavens with an 8,250rpm red line, but with 80 per cent of its 697Nm available from 1,750rpm, it pulls incredibly strongly from low down too.

It doesn’t have the instant shove of a turbocharged motor, but instead it builds to a mesmerising crescendo, where the soundtrack explodes with a glorious wail.

Ferrari has added a new exhaust manifold and tuned it to deliver an addictive noise, so it sounds stunning when you’ve got the throttle pinned to the bulkhead. But this is also a relaxed GT car that will cross continents in comfort. So when you back off, the GTC4’S engine noise isn’t intrusive, with software tweaks to keep the exhaust valves closed to improve cruising refinement. This has been enhanced further with more sound insulation, quieter climate control and 20 per cent more rigid suspension pick-up points.

This helps the ride, too. ‘Bumpy road’ mode softens the GTC4’S suspension, so the car feels more fluid than in the normal setting, moving with the road nicely and offering bags of composure. The dampers are connected to Ferrari’s fourth-generation Slide Slip Control system that can change the suspension’s firmness, alter the E-diff and even tweak the four-wheel drive.

Unlike in most all-wheel-drive cars, the front axle takes power from the front of the engine so there’s no centre diff, giving huge traction so you can deploy all 681bhp without any unwanted drama. Thanks to this traction off the line and the sevenspeed dual-clutch auto’s launch control, the GTC4 will rocket from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and hit 208mph flat out.

The big development for the Lusso is the adoption of the four-wheel steering from the F12 tdf. It’s been slightly recalibrated to lessen the hyper-alert character, but in bends the tech in effect shortens the wheelbase, giving this vast four-seat GT the agility of a

“It doesn’t have a turbo’s instant shove, but builds in a linear manner to a mesmerising crescendo”

much smaller car. It’s incredible how nimble the GTC4 is; with Ferrari’s trademark superfast steering, the rate at which it turns into corners can take you by surprise at first. It feels slightly nervous until you get used to the weight and speed, but once you do, the GTC4 shrinks around you and inspires huge confidence to use it to its full potential.

Back off and you realise how far the Ferrari’s credentials stretch. It offers all the technology you expect; there’s a 10-inch touchscreen with Apple Carplay and a splitscreen view (plus an eight-inch display for the passenger). And as well as being a better, faster, more agile sports car when you want it, the car is a more comfortable GT when you don’t. Despite the redesigned roofline – along with other styling tweaks to the front and rear – there’s loads of headroom for adults, while legroom in the back is improved over the FF as well. In fact, it’s surprisingly spacious in the rear.

Ferrari claims a 450-litre boot, expanding to 800 litres with the back seats folded. This is enough room for four people’s luggage, while the hatchback and folding ski hatch boost versatility further.

You might not think practicality is key in a £250,000 Ferrari, but the GTC4 has plenty of it. And while its big V12 isn’t the most efficient engine, a few mods have upped economy to 18.8mpg and cut CO2 emissions to 350g/km, even though power is also increased.

Still, it’s best to gloss over this part and concentrate on what is one of the most usable performance cars ever.